(1991), and Crown of Thorns (1991). Two locals, Warren Ellis (ex-These Future Kings) on violin, organ and piano accordion, and Jim White (ex-Venom P Stinger, Conway Savage and the Deep South) on drums completed the line-up. Ellis and White also formed their own band, Dirty Three, with Mick Turner in 1992. A compilation CD, Welcome Stranger, was released via Waterfront Records in August of that year. It incorporated all twelve tracks from their three EPs plus two extra tracks from "the London Sessions" and a live version of a Triffids' song, "In the Pines" (from their 1986 album of the same name). The line-up of Ellis, Lee, Kakulas, McComb, Snarski and White toured to promote Welcome Stranger before recording their debut studio album, All Souls Alive, in July 1993 at Fortissimo Studios, Melbourne with Kakulas producing. It was released in December via Torn & Frayed Records/Shock Records. Its lead track, "A Curse on You", was described by Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, as "a piece of gothic high-drama-set-in-song that recalled a William Faulkner novel." All Souls Alive has ten tracks, four co-written by Kakulas and McComb, a cover version of Leonard Cohen and Phil Spector's "Memories" (from Cohen's album, Death of a Ladies' Man, November 1977) and a version of Johnny Paycheck's song, "Apartment No. 9" (1966). Nine tracks had lead vocals by Snarski and one by McComb, the album showed the inspired chaos of Ellis and the majesty of White, pedal steel by Lee and mandolin and harmony vocals by Mark C. Halstead (ex-the Paradise Vendors, the Disappointments). After supporting American alternate rockers, Concrete Blonde, for a gig in Adelaide, Snarski spoke to Nicole Leedham of The Canberra Times in December 1993, "It was an odd choice but it was good exposure for us... Although our influence's are quite different from theirs, we do share a love of Leonard Cohen." He went on to describe his group's other influences, "Graham [Lee] is immersed in country music and Phil's favourite album at the moment is a record of the uterus and a baby's heartbeat set against classical music, "Dave [McKone ] and Graham are also ex-members of the Triffids, so they like that music and people tend to put Warren [Ellis] and Jim [White] in the jazz category – which I don't really understand." Leedham felt the album was "full of hard-luck tales... It is a tribute to the downtrodden, the